NSF International Appoints ConAgra Foods Chief Quality Officer Joan Menke-Schaenzer to Board of Directors
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (PRWEB) July 23, 2013 -- NSF International, a global public health and safety organization, has appointed food safety veteran and ConAgra Foods Global Chief Quality Officer Joan Menke-Schaenzer to its board of directors. Ms. Menke-Schaenzer has 30 years of experience leading the food safety and quality function in food retail and food manufacturing industries. She previously held food safety leadership roles at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Kraft Foods, Inc.
Ms. Menke-Schaenzer has devoted her career to creating a world-class foundation for food safety and quality through the standardization of best practices. At ConAgra Foods, she has made significant enhancements to food safety by establishing new policies and creating a food safety culture. Under Joan’s leadership, the company’s comprehensive commitment to food safety was recognized by the Safe Quality Food Institute with a Quality Achievement Award.
As Vice President of Food Safety and Defense at Wal-Mart, Ms. Menke-Schaenzer led the development of global quality, food safety and food defense programs and standards. At Kraft, she developed and implemented worldwide quality and food safety programs and the company’s Crisis Management Quick Response Team, earning two Kraft President’s Awards and the prestigious Black Pearl Award for excellence in food safety from the International Association for Food Protection.
During the course of her career, Ms. Menke-Schaenzer has worked closely with key trade associations and regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She currently serves on the FDA Food Advisory Committee, as well as the Board of Scientific Counselors CDC (BSC) Surveillance working group.
Additionally, Ms. Menke-Schaenzer serves on many key industry committees. She is a past member of the American Frozen Foods Institute (AFFI) Board of Directors, currently participates in the SQF (Safe Quality Food) and Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Technical Committees, and the Info Recall Link Advisory Board. Additionally, she is a founding member of the AFFI Microwave Cooking Food Safety Industry Working Group. She earned a bachelor’s degree in food science from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
“We are very pleased to have Joan Menke-Schaenzer join NSF International’s Board of Directors,” said NSF International Chairman of the Board Richard E. Rabbideau. “Joan’s unparalleled experience leading global food safety and quality programs will be invaluable as NSF International continues to expand globally. Her expertise is the ideal complement to our focus on protecting and improving public health and safety across all areas of NSF’s operations.”
“Joan’s commitment to quality is driving success at ConAgra Foods,” said Al Bolles, executive vice president, Research Quality and Innovation at ConAgra Foods. “I know she will add value as a member of NSF International’s Board of Directors.”
NSF International’s Global Food Division provides expertise and accredited services across all supply chain sectors, from agriculture, produce, processing, distribution and dairy to seafood, retail and restaurants. Services include: GFSI certification (SQF, BRC, GLOBALG.A.P., FSSC, IFS, CanadaGAP, PrimusGFS), expert auditing, consulting and technical services, HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points) validation and inspection, and organic and gluten-free certification through NSF’s subsidiary QAI (Quality Assurance International).
“I am honored to be joining NSF International’s board. NSF International has built a strong reputation as a public health and safety organization over the last 70 years. I look forward to working with NSF’s tremendously talented board members and leadership team to help advance NSF’s mission globally,” said Menke-Schaenzer.
NSF International media contact: Greta Houlahan – e: houlahan(at)nsf(dot)org – p: 734-913-5723
ConAgra Foods media contact: Shelby Stoolman – e: shelby.stoolman(at)conagrafoods(dot)com – p: 402-240-4691
About NSF International:
NSF International is a global independent organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the food, water, health sciences and consumer products industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment (nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide. NSF International has been collaborating with the World Health Organization since 1997 in water quality and safety, food safety and indoor environments.
Additional NSF services include NSF Education and Training, safety audits for the food and water industries, nutritional/dietary supplement certification, organic certification provided by QAI (Quality Assurance International), sustainability services and management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations (NSF-ISR). NSF-ISR services include ISO 14001 environmental and ISO 9001 quality management systems registrations, Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and chain of custody (COC) certifications.
About ConAgra Foods:
ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America's largest packaged food companies. Its balanced portfolio includes consumer brands found in 97 percent of America's households, the largest private brand packaged food business in North America, and a strong commercial and foodservice business. Consumers can find recognized brands such as Banquet®, Chef Boyardee®, Egg Beaters®, Healthy Choice®, Hebrew National®, Hunt's®, Marie Callender's®, Orville Redenbacher's® popcorn, PAM®, Peter Pan®, Reddi-wip®, Slim Jim® beef jerky, Snack Pack® and many other ConAgra Foods brands, plus food sold under private brand labels, in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise, club and drug stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong commercial foods presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice, bakery and grain products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. ConAgra Foods operates ReadySetEat.com, an interactive recipe website that provides consumers with dinner ideas and more. For more information, please visit us at http://www.conagrafoods.com
Greta Houlahan, NSF International, http://www.nsf.org, +1 734-913-5723, [email protected]
Share this article